Hurt

It hurts when a person you love very much treats you second-hand. Actually it hurts awfully. :-(

Shameless appeal for sympathy

Am sure what I am going to write is what most Moms experience, but I am so exhausted that I am turning to blogger for some sympathy. But given the dwindling readership, I don't hope to get any. Nevertheless, I will write.

Given that I was on bed rest throughout pregnancy and somewhat limited movement after delivery for close to 5 months, my body is somewhat weak. But now, there has been a sudden increase in the amount of work that I need to do everyday. And my system is protesting.

To begin with, I work from home. That will make many of them say 'Oh! She's lucky'. And yes, lucky I am. I don't deny that. I get to see my baby whenever I want, feed her, bathe her, play, cuddle, pacify and do all that I want, whenever I want. That is the only plus.

The company I work for is good enough to let me work from home. Does not define a start and end time of day. As long as I complete my work, they are fine. This is true even for employees working from office site. However, I seem unable to do even the basic work that I am supposed to. I feel terribly guilty that I am taking advantage of these facilities and not giving back my full to them.

Because, I need to manage house, cook and clean, do laundry and somewhere in between all this I need to work.

When people hear 'work from home' they conveniently forget the 'work' part and think am just 'home'! They don't realize I still need to do the same amount of work, attend calls, prepare charts and all that stuff people do in office. Am neither doing justice to my official duties nor am I spending hassle-free time with the baby.

I should really be thankful that Baby S is such a non-fussy and happy baby. She is really not a trouble at all to manage. But there is a minimum that she needs right? Like, feed her on time, change her soiled diapers, play and hold and rock her softly
to sleep. On most days she eats her food properly. On certain days she takes a while and my sub-conscious starts to agitate... 'have I been away from desk for long?'
The moment my mind starts wandering, I lose focus on feeding her and try to rush. And I really hate myself for doing that.

I do have a support system to take care of the baby... but I still do most of the feeding, cleaning/changing bit. I love to do it. I don't see it as a chore. Just that I feel guilty thinking am doing that on office time. It is so frustrating that at times I seriously think of quitting work.

There are Stay at home moms and working moms. Are there some 'working from home' moms out there? How do you manage your time? What am I doing wrong? Your suggestions are most welcome.

Busy day

A busy day at desk today. 8 out of 15 blogs in my reader had a post today :-)

Updates on Baby S

Hello there, hope all you people are doing good. I just thought of doing a general update on Baby S.

She is becoming more and more naughty and playful. Previously it was very easy to distract her, but now she demands toys that we hide or remove from her. The reason being her 'toys' are not things that we approve like Plastic cover, newspaper, battery charger, camera, clothes (specifically the bottom part of any dress that accumulates the maximum dirt)!! Her own set of playthings are all neatly kept in a big bag and are not touched by her!

She loves to be cuddled and fondled.

She loves to remove her dad's specs and play with it.

Whenever C brings her near me, she has this most mischievous look on her face and gives a big grin before leaping to pull my hair :-))

She loves to bite my chin. She does that even in her sleep, when I am rocking her on my shoulder :-))

She loves listening to music. She also loves my singing to her. Her favorites are the A B C Song, Nila Kaigiradhu, Karpagavalli nin Por Padangal, If you are Happy and you know..., Aarumo Aaval and few more.

She listens to C playing guitar and more importantly blesses the guitar every time before he plays :-) She very cutely taps the guitar 2-3 times and then C is ready to play :-)

She also likes her thatha (grandfather) to sing Poonaikum Poonaikum Kalyanamam and Kalyana Samayal Saadham.

Overall she is a very happy baby (touch wood) and brings so much happiness to people around her.

Btw, there is a team outing planned in C's office in a resort near Mahabalipuram. We are tempted to take baby S along. But the thought of managing her in the car for close to 2 hours is making me very anxious. Because she gets very restless after 15 minutes or so and starts wriggling and moving about. Feeding her is also very difficult as she keeps twisting and turning :-)

So, here is a question to all the wise parents out there. How good is a car seat? Is it a good investment to make? Is it useful? Please do let me know so that we can come to a decision on it.

Happy Navrathri

A very happy Navrathri to you. I hope everyone is having a very joyous and festive week.

Navrathri or Golu as we call it, is such a fun, colorful and social occasion. Constructing the steps, decorating them with festoons, arranging the dolls, creating a theme park, eating 'sundal', visiting houses and seeing their golu... it's all one action packed week.

For the last several years, we (i.e my parents) have been constructing the Padi (Steps) for Golu, using makeshift items like the dining table, other assorted side tables, heavy law books and even stacks of newspaper. It is a back breaking job but when finished it gives an immense satisfaction.

This year C & I bought them the slotted angle iron steps. Assembling them too took a lot of work, but it was relatively simpler. Having broken from the tradition of building steps, I was very skeptical on how these iron steps would look... but fortunately it still looks very conventional and nice.




We were invited to a lot of houses for Golu and on Sunday decided to visit them all. So long, we haven't taken Baby S out a lot... except for nearby temples. But on Sunday she had a outing for close to 4 hours. It must have felt like a world tour to her. She thoroughly enjoyed the new experience and looked at us as if asking 'Why didn't you guys take me out earlier ?' :-)

She also doesn't seem to be bothered much meeting new people. She was pretty happy whoever was carrying her and kept looking at all the lights and dolls with curiosity. She even charmed people with her baby talk and sounds :-)

When I went to bed close to midnight that day, I had such a happy feeling in my heart. I was so happy that I just could not sleep and kept smiling. I couldn't help thinking back on those many many days when I was crying and feeling miserable. I really have to be grateful for what has been given to me. C & I keep reminding ourselves that we have to become better persons so that we can give the best to Baby S.

Say Hello to baby S

Ashamed

I complained about somebody when that somebody was not around. Something that I hate doing. I feel very ashamed and there is a sick feeling in my stomach. Why couldn't I control my vile thought? Few minutes of anger and frustration and hour long ruefulness.

The Pregnancy Story

I guess it is high time I introduce our little joker to the blog world. She will be called Baby S. She is 4 months and 3 weeks now. Getting naughtier and playful as the day goes. It is all such a wonderful experience. I can't help thinking back at the happenings of 2008. That baby (we call it fountain) made sure we get baby S. We always feel fountain is taking care of his sister, whatever she does.

There is so much to write actually. I am not even sure where to begin. My pregnancy was filled with moments of absolute terror and anxiety as well as many moments of happiness and delight. It was all such a roller coaster of emotions. Let me just begin right away.

*What follows next is a very open account of what we went through with some graphic details. I am writing this because I hope it will help someone, somewhere. So, please bear with me.*

On 1st August 2009, I did a home pregnancy test. C had gone to his guitar class and I didn't know if I should call him right away. I decided to wait till he returned and announced it to him first. He was so excited and we repeated the test once or twice again! We also got a blood test done to confirm it. Then started the doctor visits. We had, by chance, taken a prior appointment with the doctor somewhere in the middle of Aug. Went and had the first scan. Things seemed normal.

By that time, we informed both set of parents. Everyone was very happy and at the same time apprehensive.

Week 12 - I had an attack of cold and cough with mild fever. It lasted for almost a week but fortunately the cough was not as bad as it was last time. It was also the season of Swine Flu! I was petrified at the thought of going anywhere near anyone who sneezed. Even the doctor visits during this time was very stressful. When a lady nearby coughed, I was hesitant to get up and walk away. Thought it might seem very rude. I casually turned my face the other way and simply covered my nose/mouth.

Week 14 - Past mid-night. I got up to use the loo and passed some clots and had some bleeding and spotting. I don't know how I didn't faint. I just called C. Cried and hugged him. We were just terror stricken. Didn't know what to do. Called the duty-doctor and she just asked me to lie down with my legs slightly elevated. We rushed to the doctor in the morning. They did a scan and said I had a low lying placenta and advised bed rest. They asked me to come 2 weeks later for a cervical cerclage.

Week 14 to Week 16 - I was just a bundle of nerves. I used to get up from bed only to use the loo. I didn't even have a proper bath those weeks.

Week 16 - I had the cerclage done.

Week 17 - I started having some foul smelling discharge. I was mentally so drained. We again rushed to the doctor. Again, there was a moment of absolute terror. The junior doctor who examined me, went to consult the senior doctor. When she returned, she abruptly asked me to 'go the labor ward!' I was aghast. Had something gone terribly wrong? I just leaned on my mother and tears started pouring down my face. I was so weak that I couldn't walk. C went to talk to the doctor and was relieved when all that they wanted to do was clean up the infection. After a day's stay at the hospital, we came home. From then on, I just took one day at a time. Was on complete bed rest.

C and my mother took absolute care of me. They even held a mug for me to brush my teeth and spit out. Had only sponge bath. Got up only to use the loo. I even had food on the bed. I was terrified to sleep. I was terrified to turn from one side to the other. I was terrified to lift a cup of water. I was JUST TERRIFIED. All that I did was to pray. Listen to devotional songs. Read books.

C did a wonderful thing by enrolling in a local library here. I was too scared to even read heavy stuff. I wanted something light and simple. He got me Enid Blyton's collection. Secret Seven, Famous Five, Five Find-Outers, The Adventure Series, The Naughtiest Girl series, The Malory Towers Series, The St.Claire's Series... It was such fun to read them. It might seem a funny thing for such a grown up person to read, but it really really helped me All these kept me occupied, peaceful and calm.

Week 24 to Week 28 - I was most scared during this period. I somehow wanted to cross week 28. I was told that chances of delivering and saving a baby was more once you cross this threshold. I just took one day at a time. Kept praying hard.

Week 32 - Consulted doctor and he was satisfied with the progress. Had the 'Seemandham and Valaikaapu function'.

Week 36 - Good progress and the doctor asked me start walking about. Was also allowed to sit on the floor, though I never did that. I never bent my knee for those 40 weeks!

My due date was March 30th. The doctor asked me to come on the 29th, Monday and get admitted. I never had any false labour pain. Spent that weekend as usual. Packed the bag and got ready on Monday. Visited the temple on our way to the hospital.

10 AM: Removed the cerclage. And ruptured the membranes.

12 PM: Started having slight pain and was asked to walk about.

3 PM: Intense pain and contractions

6.11 PM: Baby S arrived :-)

Usually people write a labour story. But for me, the journey through pregnancy was the most difficult part. Somehow, I really didn't feel the 'pain' of delivery. The baby and almighty made sure that for all the anxiety and mental tension that we underwent for those 9 months, I had a very smooth normal delivery.

It has been such a ride. So many emotions. So much of tension. So much of happiness. During all these times baby fountain was always in our thoughts. He still is.


There is one important thing that I must write about. And that is the constant support that I received from this person. Timepass, I shall never forget your help, your concern, your prayers. I take it as providence, that I got to know you. And nothing I do will ever repay what you gave me. But as a small gesture, when the priest asked for 3 names for the baby, for one of her names, we named Baby S after you :-)

I will write another post detailing what all precautions I took. The medications. Power of positive thinking. And so much more that helped me. Hoping this helps someone else, somewhere.

Hello there

Finally I get to write something on my poor neglected blog.

I joined work couple of days back and got my laptop. Had to configure and set it up...that took a couple of days... just slowly getting used to the routine.

Expecting to be fairly regular with my posting now.

See you all soon.

Arrival of Our Baby Girl

I hope the few readers of my blog still check for updates.

We are delighted to announce the arrival of our baby girl, born on 29th March.

The last 9 months or so have been such an emotional roller coaster. I have so much to write and share. So many people to thank and be grateful. I hope to start posting them slowly.

Till then,
Ciao.

Some Psychos

Some of you readers may know that C got a brand new bike (Yamaha FZ)at the start of this year, for his office commute.

He loves it completely and takes so much care... so much that he even refuses to take me out on it to the beach or any such place fearing someone might scratch it or mis-handle it.

Last night he was wiping it clean before covering it and it was taking longer than the usual and I peeped out of the window to see what he was upto... he was looking a bit dazed and stunned! Someone had peeled off two stickers and a cute reflector light on the rear of the bike!! I rushed out and saw what had happened. I was feeling such intense rage at whoever did that unimaginable and unwarranted act! I was especially sad to see the reflector missing. It is such a cute little thing that reflects the brake light and is the highpoint of the bike's rear. I really loved the way it shone at night. The stickers too... they are on either side of the petrol tank and really stuck well.

So, someone meticulously sat there in the parking lot and peeled it off and must have used a pen-knife or something to gouge out the reflector. Who would do that? Why would they do that? Psychos for sure!!

Fortunately there are no visible scratch marks anywhere else. We enquired at the bike showroom and the stickers and reflector can be fixed. The stickers cost Rs.42 each and the reflector about Rs.15. If someone could afford that bike, will he be cheap enough to indulge in such transgression for something that costs so little? Surely it was not done for the money. It was just an act of a pervert mind. I literally cursed that whoever took it will really have a bad tummy ache and generally will suffer! I was immediately also scared that I thought of very harsh things :-( What to do? That is how my mind works.

Even though I annoy C by telling him that the bike is only so-so ;-) (come on, he never takes me for a ride on it!) I guess I felt really bad because he loves his bike and the look on his face was unbearable. He didn't seem angry.. just dejected.
Don't worry C. We will try to fix it over the weekend.

Weekend Notes

Again, long time since I wrote anything in this space. Hope everyone is doing fine.

2 weeks before last we had the surprise baby shower for Art. It was the first surprise party I ever attended :-) It was good fun and of course great to meet some of the bloggers.

The next weekend we had lunch at Sigree (Hotel Aruna). The food was exceptional. I read rave reviews about their Daal Makhani and it was so true. It tasted just perfect. It is pricey but the portions are large. We actually ended up ordering for 3 people. So, asked them to pack the Daal and had it again in the evening. It still tasted yummy :-)

Last Saturday we went to the McDonalds that has opened in Anna Nagar. I think I was visiting that area after 15 years or so!

There was a long queue waiting at the entrance. It was crazy with so many people thronging the doors. We are really not Burger enthusiasts and my only junk food addiction is french fries. We just wanted to check it out for the experience. Seeing the crowd, I even suggested C to go in for a different restaurant. But, just then the doors opened and we managed to get in.

There is really nothing much to choose. We had the Veggie Meal Combo. It was decent enough. Nothing spectacular. But the people at the joint were more interesting. Elderly women, college-goers, family with kids, a group of four boys who definitely would not have been over 12 yrs! And one of the kids coolly pulled out a wad of notes from his pocket and went ahead ordering for his friends...

That got us started talking as to how things have changed... when we were kids we didn't really have this concept of pocket money. At least not in our families and not when we were 12 or 14. If we needed anything, we asked parents. It was only after I was in college that I carried money with me. That too a meager 5 or 10. Which used to last a week or two :-)

Anyway, after having a wholesome junk food dinner ;-) we walked over to the opposite side of the road to look at a huge 'electronics' shop.. they had some cool laptops, handycams, music systems on display. We enquired some and mentally noted the models/price to come home and check online.

We want to buy a good laptop for home use. So, the few regular readers of this blog, what laptop do you use and how do you find it? Or which laptop holds your fancy?
HP, Dell, Mac, Vaio?? Anything else?

History Created

With Roger Federer winning his 15th Grand Slam. 6th Wimbledon title. Regaining his No.1 ranking.

Just wanted to to write this down so that I remember it for a long time...

I guess this easily surpasses the epic final of last year which was so heartbreaking. Just the fact that it was a more classic serve, volley, chip n charge game which looks extremely beautiful on Grass.. compared to a slug fest from the baseline.

I think we are very fortunate to be born in this era to witness such immaculate play, grace, humility. This was definitely not one of Roger's smooth as silk performance, instead, it showed his courage, self-belief and his fighting spirit. Which is something we could all learn and use in our lives.

What to Name it!

Hope everyone out there is having a good time.

It was too much of an effort to write a post after so many days and I could not rake my brain to come with a suitable title, hence What to Name it!


So, to get out of my writer's block (ok, don't scoff at my temerity to call myself a writer), I decided to just start writing. Many times, it just takes that, doesn't it? To get started. Let me see how far this goes.

As I was having lunch at home today, I looked at the (relatively) new bookshelf that we bought and it felt nice to see all our eclectic collection of books finally find a respectable place to rest.

The shelf holds only a fraction of the books we own. If we were to collect the books of all our immediate family members, (parents and siblings) it will constitute a wonderful library.

There are people with such varied qualification in my family. My dad is a lawyer. Mom a retired Science teacher. Brother got his degree in Accounting, Sister did her Masters (and Ph.D) in Physics/Materials Science, while I did my Engineering!

C's dad is a retired banker, his Mom a math teacher, Brother an engineer and C did his MBA!

So, you can imagine the number of books found in our family. It is a dream of mine to have a neat library stacking rows and rows of these books.. ranging from Accounting to Astro Physics and Hindu Law to Management Principles!

Thanks to C being a bibliophile, apart from the technical books, there is a vast collection of books on Indian Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Vedas and Upanishad, Logical Reasoning, Critical Thinking, Books on Bharathiyar Kavithaigal, Thirukural, Salvador Dali (!) and books by Kafka, O Henry and Jane Austen.. to name a few.

As I was reminiscing about these books, I got thinking on what we wanted to be and what we ended up doing...

For instance, C wanted to do a course in Literature, but ended up doing Engineering and MBA. I was more into Sports, loved Chemistry as a subject and teaching as a vocation, but again, obtained my Bachelor of Engg. degree and now work in the IT industry.

My sister wanted to get on to a job after her graduation, she never fantasized higher education, but she ended up doing her MS and Ph.D!

My B-I-L would give his all to join a certain well established bike company but is currently working in the software field!

It seems crazy to me when I think about this. But then, in spite of not doing what we wanted, we are all pretty HAPPY now. I like my work and so does C. Sister is an accomplished Dr. and B-i-l is settled on his job.

Perhaps, there will come a time when C can pursue his interest in Philosophy or Law and Bil can become a great technician in his dream company. But as of now, things are good. In the end, isn't that more important. To be happy and contended. And I am thankful for that.

Beach - Chennai's Boon

Life has been busy and hectic and all that... this weekend was no different. Also, since I have been working from home for some time now, I really don't get to see the outside world at all! Combined with few other thoughts, I was feeling so depressed on sunday evening. I was sitting and chopping some veggie for dinner and tears started welling up my eye...

C, who was strumming his guitar saw me and probably thought 'enough is enough' and asked me to just get ready. An impromptu decision was made and off we went to the beach.

Unfortunately some 100,000 others had made that decision :-) The beach was swarming with people of all ages and sizes. Nevertheless, we managed to find a parking space and quietly walked over to the sand... the breeze was blowing over and it was appreciably cooler.. not the usual sticky feeling, but a really pleasant weather. It was just soo calming.

I did two things that I have never done before in a beach. One - Ate pieces of raw mango smeared with salt & chilli powder. Two - Ate a big paper cone full of 'Kadalai Sundal' :-))

In all my years of existence, I had never tasted the beach 'sundal'. And yesterday, when C asked me if I wanted it, I just decided to give it a try! I think he was amused that I had never eaten it.. he seems to be a veteran of beach snacks. He spotted the right shops, the right food, the right everything :-)

The steamed kadalai-pori mix with a little bit of cucumber, tomato, lot of coriander and a little bit of lemon juice for that added tangy feel - Mmmm.... it was just awesome.

Within a span of 20 minutes that we stayed there, we ate Mangoes, Roasted Corn and the kadalai-pori mix :-))

Walked all the way across the sand to watch the waves. And since it was very dark we had to remain kind of cautious...just looking to our sides and behind...

That is one of the reasons I prefer going to the beach in the mornings... just a few people going on their morning walks or kids playing beach cricket/tennicoit and the like...very relaxed atmosphere. But then the snack stalls don't operate that early ;-)

We then returned home via a slightly longish route..just riding through those nice well lit roads ... C showing me around the Santhome Church area, Mylapore, Luz Corner and few other places...

Got to see 'Rex Fashions'. Years ago, I had heard it innumerable times on Radio.. it always ended with 'Rex Fashion, Luz Corner Mylapore'.

It was such a welcome break and a much needed one for me. I felt so energized and thinking about my adventure with beach food.. I had a goofy grin for a long time.

And C, thank you - for forsaking your superbike and F1 races. You may not be very demonstrative with your affection, but I know these little things are what that show how we care about each other deeply.

Hap Hap Happy Birthday....

Folks, it is my birthday today :-)

I feel kind of weird to announce it on the blog but then I am sooo touched by my dearest C's gestures that I want to acknowledge it here and cherish it for a long long time.

Last evening C took me out to a nice boutique in Chetpet and got me some fabulous clothes. Lots of casual wear, summer wear types. Then we headed to Shri Mithai for a light dinner of various Chaat items.

And at mid night as I was slowloy drifting to sleep... he pulled out a nice Harmonica!! I had been eyeing that in the music store for some time... I was soo happy... he even played the Birthday song for me on it...

This morning, I received a call from Udavum Karangal and they wished me too :-) C had arranged lunch for 100 kids...needless to say, I was really touched.

And just now, I received a bouquet of the most beautiful roses! From Ferns & Petals. Light pink and darker ones.. a dozen roses in all, neatly tied with a bow and a card attached to it... oh C! you have bowled me over :-)

I don't have to say it.. but still.. thank you sooo much for everything.

I love you. You are simply the best :-))))))

Am fine.. well, almost.

Thanks VJ for inquiring... please read the below rant if you are really interested :-)

The last few weeks have been extremely hectic.

Actually, we live right next to my parents and ever since we came to Madras, I haven't really cooked much. Breakfast, lunch and dinner was handled by Mom. Now, my parents have to gone to visit my sister.

So, all of a sudden I have to cook, clean and manage both the houses (both ours and parents'). Combined with some really heavy duty work at office front, my body protested!

I have been having a bad knee ache for some time now and since it worsened, I finally decided to go and seek some treatment. I visited the Kerala Ayurveda clinic for a 5 day session and everyday, for about 45 minutes I took a Abhyangam (complete oil massage) followed by a 'Elakizhi' treatment. It was good on the whole and I do feel quite rejuvenated now.

But unfortunately my father-in-law met with an accident and fractured his leg. A van knocked him off right on the Kathipara flyover! Thank god he escaped with a fractured leg and not anything more serious. Nevertheless, he has to take complete rest for a month and the doctor being closer to our place, we brought him over to our house to take care.

So, the treatment, office work, the house-keeping, cooking and taking care of F-I-L took all the time I had and more.

Now, I don't have a maid to clean the house. And realized that 3 adult males (C, my brother and F-I-L) can create quite a mess in the house! The floors are dirty, the shelves are dusty, laundry bag piling up and washed clothes dumped on chairs to be folded, vessels to be washed, plants to be watered, scores of guests and visitors to be attended and some more.... well, I lost it and was so exhausted and drained that I sat and cried piteously on 2 nights!

I don't know what point am trying to prove anyone by doing it all by myself! I feel like an idiot to have strained my body this much. I really am going to look out for a 'good' maid who can help me out starting next month. 'Good' being the keyword. Let us see how it goes.

Taking Off the Blog!

I am planning to delete this blog. It was nice while it lasted. Came across a set of nice people and met a few of them as well.



But I don't know if I can keep updating this regularly... work has increased tremendously both at office and at home and keeping the blog live is just passing down the priority list.



So, thank you all for those who read these posts and special thanks for those who commented.



So, with that I bid you all good bye!



Ok! Gotcha :-)

Years ago when I was in school, I remember my friends and myself planning a trick secretly to catch teachers and other fellow students unawares on the 1st of April. It used to be such fun... even though the tricks used were pretty simple and plain, watching the reaction of the victim was extremely funny! Most of our teachers were a cool lot and enjoyed the fun along with us... few of them were a brooding lot and didn't quite appreciate our efforts ;-)

One day, someone placed one of those rubber lizards in a really tattered duster... it looked really creepy, I must say. Our Mathematics teacher came in and just as he picked up the duster unsuspectingly, he saw the 'lizard' peeping out! He gave a sharp quick cry and threw it across the floor! He was kind of furious and our not-so-silent giggles infuriated him further!

I remember how a friend's father always played the same trick on us kids... put his hands inside our bags and say 'Look a spider!!' and just pull out a thread or nothing at all! It used to be the same thing every year but still the playfulness remained intact.

Do you remember the time when Pranoy Roy did an entire new piece on 'The World this Week' about a miracle drug that made a man grow gigantically and another one a dwarf? I am not very sure about the contents.. but it was all played out neatly and slipped in as just another scientific breakthrough news - and it was not until he signed off wishing the viewers of the science news a happy April Fool's Day that we realized how cleverly they duped us!

Is this tradition on still? Do children fool each other in school? Do you guys still play pranks on your friends or folks at home on the 1st of April?

(M) ADvertisements

I've been wanting to write on so many things. Nothing of great importance. Such posts are beyond me. The few readers of this blog can vouch for that.. What I wanted to write was on some of the advertisements that I came across on TV and the newspaper, that really were amusing and annoying.

There is this ad for a shampoo and the tag line goes something like 'Contains Active Pro-K'! OK, now, what is Pro-K? Maybe I am a bad example for consumer behaviour because I pretty much stick to the standard, tested routine brands. But do people really go - "Oh look! this has Pro-K and guess what it is Active too!!" Whatever!

And there is this one for a soap. The lady asks her kid to buy a soap. The girl happily runs off to get one. The lady realizes she didn't mention the soap's name and gets very hyper thinking of grave situations her daughter will face if she buys a different one! She runs after her daughter, goes to the shop - all the while imagining her kid will grow up to a pimply faced teenager! And finally, she returns home to see the kid having a nice bath with the 'Correct' soap. I just find this whole sequence so annoying. If the kid is wise enough to handle money, go alone to the right shop, isn't it a little stupid on the lady's part to assume the kid will buy some trash of a soap? I think children today are way more mature and cleverer than that. And couldn't that woman check with the shopkeeper on what soap he sold? Whatever!!

And another one (I guess a shampoo or hair oil?) - A lady takes her daughter to a cricket training facility and the coach looks at the kids's hair and says 'won't her hair get spoilt!' or something to that effect. Is he even a real coach? I personally, have never met a coach who laid importance on such trivial aspects. I don't even know what the rest of the ad says.. I lost it after that one line.

And the best of all is what I saw in the newspaper a few days back - Courtyard Marriott is offering a soothing spa treatment called 'Coconut Caress Massage' that uses a blend of cane sugar, grated coconut and sweet cardamom and plantain wrap!! I really burst out laughing reading that! I could use all that make some nice mouth watering Burfi!!

Initially it was only 'Kadalai Maavu' (Besan) and cream of milk or rose water, lemon extract that was used. Now it seems, I can empty my entire kitchen shelf save the chilli powder and just wallow in it for spa treatment and such like!

Oh my god! grated coconut and sweet cardamom.. I still can't get over it!

Simple Pleasures of Life

It was past 10 in the night. I heard a sound... the front gate almost crashed open. I heard the bike vroom in. C had come home.

I went out to generally wave at him when he came rushing from his bike. He held a small plastic bag in his hand...I had no clue what it was. "Fast! Fast!!", he said. "What is it??" - He had two grape flavoured ice sticks from Arun :-D

I quickly went and put in two plates and he didn't even bother to remove his shoes... both of us were happily licking it and seeing whose lips had turned more pink!